KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A lawsuit claims a downtown Kansas City entertainment district actively harassed black customers in order to persuade them to leave the district.

The federal lawsuit filed Monday against the Power & Light District seeks class action status for black patrons of the district. It is the second lawsuit in the last week alleging the district’s owners, The Cordish Co., worked to reduce the number of black patrons in the district’s bars and restaurants.

The Kansas City Star reports (http://bit.ly/PonLkP ) the lawsuit’s lead plaintiffs are Dante A.R. Combs and Adam Williams, who say they were harassed three times and denied admission to a nightclub.

Cordish officials deny the allegations, calling the latest lawsuit a “trumped-up and meritless claim.” It notes both lawsuits were filed by the same attorney.